How to schedule tasks and set reminders in ChatGPT

OpenAI has finally released ChatGPT Tasks for users to schedule tasks and set reminders. Users simply enter the request and the scheduled time for ChatGPT to save it, then send you a notification when the time reaches the point you set. Here is a detailed guide to the task scheduling and reminder feature in ChatGPT.

Table of Contents

• Instructions for scheduling tasks in ChatGPT
• How to set reminder in ChatGPT
• Instructions for managing tasks in ChatGPT
• Some notes when using
  • Don't waste your 10 tasks on reminders!
  • Start with a simple request, then customize the task
  • Provides specific instructions for best results
  • Provide formatting instructions
• Remember, this is still ChatGPT!

Instructions for scheduling tasks in ChatGPT

Note, the feature is only available to paid users and is currently available for Android, iOS, and macOS users.

Step 1:

In the ChatGPT interface, we select GPT-4o with scheduled tasks in the displayed list.

Step 2:

Next we enter the task we want to perform into the box, with the prompt “create a task …” .

Immediately after that the task is recorded by ChatGPT along with the time you want. To receive notifications for the task, we need to agree to let ChatGPT send notifications.

When the task runs, you will receive a notification from ChatGPT via your web browser or mobile app.

How to set reminder in ChatGPT

Similar to scheduling tasks, ChatGPT supports users to set reminders. In GPT-4o with schedule task, start your reminder with “remind me about ….” and then type the content.

Instructions for managing tasks in ChatGPT

Step 1:

To manage and edit tasks in ChatGPT, click on the profile icon in the right corner and select Tasks. As a result, we will see a list of tasks we have created.

Step 2:

Tap the task you want to edit and then select the pen icon. Now you can adjust the time, or even delete the task.

Some notes when using

Don't waste your 10 tasks on reminders!

Currently, OpenAI places a limit on concurrent tasks. While the details are a bit vague, OpenAI says you can have up to 10 tasks running at once. It also largely uses reminders as an example of recurring tasks, and you shouldn’t follow OpenAI’s example.

Your phone, calendar, or any number of other services already exist to set reminders, so don't use ChatGPT to do so and exhaust your 10 task limit. Instead, use your scheduled tasks for more important requests.

Start with a simple request, then customize the task

While requests should be meaningful, it's much easier to start with something simple in the initial prompt before expanding on the explanation. Since tasks can be edited after they've been executed, you can add more specific information to a scheduled task, such as editing the task's instructions, title, and frequency.

It is recommended to use separate chats for each task. Unless the scheduled tasks you request are related to each other, it is better to separate them into separate chats or projects.

Provides specific instructions for best results

To get the best results for ChatGPT tasks, the usual best practices for designing prompts still apply. Provide boundaries, the task-specific elements you require, and any clarifying or contextual details you need for a quality prompt. Since this model is simply a modified version of GPT-4o, treat the prompt the same way you would treat any prompt, although framing the prompt in a way that may yield different results for each query.

Regarding links, some specific prompts can also help you get higher quality sources. Likewise, formatting requests can be included for more specificity.

Provide formatting instructions

Overall, ChatGPT handled specific formatting requests quite well. In the news example, the author asked for a 3-6 sentence summary of the overall news story, with each story having a headline and each sub-section using bullet points. ChatGPT did what the prompt asked in each case, and the formatting never changed.

Implementing formatting into your prompts makes them much easier to read and skim, which is especially important for scheduled tasks that you'll read frequently.

Remember, this is still ChatGPT!

The scheduled task function uses OpenAI's GPT-4o model, so all the limitations of that model apply to this function. For example, if you ask for brainstorming ideas frequently, you may get generic, repetitive responses.

While the scheduled tasks feature is a bit clunky in beta, it will improve over time, especially when using newer GPT models. There is a lot of utility to be had from applying automation to AI models, and the initial ideas are only scratching the surface of how people might use this functionality. Provided OpenAI can improve the quality of its output, reduce repetitive responses, and eliminate false positives when providing answers, many users will continue to use and experiment with new scheduled tasks.